Leadership is about embracing complexity, not avoiding it
This blog was written by Lincoln Gombedza, Registered nurse & Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Lead, Europe
On 12th May, while attending The Burdett Trust for Nursing and Nursing Now Challenge launch of the State of the World’s Nursing report, Duncan Barton, England’s Chief Nursing Officer committed to engaging early-career nurses in the development of the ten year Professional Strategy. In late September, I was invited to Co-Chair the Digital Technology Working Group and if there is one lesson I have taken from this opportunity, it’s this: leadership today is about embracing complexity not avoiding it.
The world of health and care is becoming more interconnected, more digital, and more dynamic than ever before. With that comes uncertainty but also the possibility of shaping a more equitable, inclusive, and forward-thinking future for our profession.
When I stepped into this role, I carried both excitement and responsibility. Representing early-career nurses meant ensuring that our experiences, challenges, and hopes were not just acknowledged but actively embedded into the conversations shaping nursing’s future.
From the outset, what struck me most was the spirit of collaboration. These Working Groups brought together nurses and midwives from diverse backgrounds, experienced leaders, policymakers, educators, and early-career professionals, each contributing unique perspectives. Our dialogue was not about hierarchy; it was about shared purpose.
In that environment, I learned that leadership is relational. It is less about authority and more about listening and creating space for others to think, speak, and grow. For early-career nurses, being part of these strategic discussions is both empowering and transformative. It signals that our voices matter, not only as the future workforce but as coauthors of the present.
What I found most powerful was the shift in mindset from seeing complexity as a barrier to seeing it as an opportunity for innovation. We are operating in a time when technology, workforce challenges, global health, and social justice all intersect. Navigating that complexity requires what I call courageous curiosity: the willingness to ask hard questions, to explore the unknown, and to connect ideas that might once have lived in separate spaces.
I have now served as a Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Lead for Europe for a year. This experience has helped me to understand that the challenges we face as nurses are interconnected. Whether it is digital inclusion, equitable access to education, or workforce resilience, these are global themes with local realities. Hearing the experiences of colleagues from across Europe reminded me that innovation doesn’t flow in one direction. Each system, each culture, holds lessons worth sharing.
In our discussions, systems thinking became my compass. Nothing in nursing happens in isolation. Every improvement in one part of the system influences another from digital tools to wellbeing, from leadership culture to patient outcomes. Seeing those interconnections reinforced my belief that effective change must be holistic, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience.
I have also come to appreciate that early-career leadership is about bridging worlds between frontline practice and strategic influence. We bring fresh eyes, digital fluency, and the courage to challenge norms. But we also need mentors who see potential rather than inexperience. I was fortunate to work alongside senior leaders who modelled that balance and were supportive, curious, and humble enough to learn from emerging voices.
Reflecting on this journey, I am filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the chance to represent my peers, for the trust placed in me, and for the relationships built across borders and disciplines. This experience has reinforced my conviction that the future of nursing will be co-created by leaders at every level who are willing to collaborate, experiment, and hold space for complexity.
As we look ahead, I hope we continue to value early-career insight not just as the promise of tomorrow, but as an essential voice in today’s leadership. We need systems that invite contribution, foster innovation, and celebrate diversity in all its forms.
The next chapter for nursing and midwifery won’t be written by one person, one policy, or one nation; it will be authored collectively by nurses and midwives everywhere who are willing to think boldly, act compassionately, and lead courageously in an age of transformation.
